Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies — These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are bursting with chocolate chips in every bite! They’re thick, hearty, perfectly chewy, and not at all cakey.
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
I’ve made Classic Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies and they were so good that I remade them but this time I incorporated oats. I love oatmeal cookies so much. Sometimes even more than chocolate chip cookies because I love the chewy texture in oatmeal cookies and just had to have a pumpkin version.
These pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are soft, thick, hearty, perfectly chewy and not cakey, which is a problem that often plagues pumpkin cookies. I love pumpkin cake, muffins, and bread but I don’t like cakey cookies.
To combat the cakiness there’s no egg in the recipe. Eggs make things fluffier, but pumpkin puree does that naturally much like bananas do.
I’ve baked plenty of vegan pumpkin cakes and muffins and know from experience that many times when you’re baking with pumpkin you don’t need eggs and these cookies are a prime example.
There’s oodles of chocolate in every bite, and the rich pumpkin flavor just shines. Between the molasses and pumpkin pie spice, these oatmeal pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are bursting with fall flavors.
What’s in Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies?
For these oatmeal pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Pumpkin puree
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Molasses
- Vanilla extract
- Old-fashioned oats
- All-purpose flour
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Chocolate chips
How to Make Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
To make these pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, first whisk together the wet ingredients with the two kinds of sugar. Stir in the dry ingredients, then gently fold in the chocolate chips.
Scoop the cookie dough into balls and place on a tray or plate. Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least three hours, or up to five days.
Once the cookie dough has chilled, bake on a parchment paper-lined baking tray for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the edges have set. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking tray before removing them to cool on a wire rack.
Can I Make This Recipe as Cookie Bars?
I’ve only made this recipe as individual pumpkin oatmeal cookies, but I think they’d be fine to bake as bars. You’d likely need to use an 8×8-inch pan, but I can’t say for certain.
Can I Freeze the Cookies?
Yes, you can freeze both raw cookie dough and baked cookies.
To freeze the cookie dough, shape the dough into balls and then seal in a freezer bag. You can bake the dough from frozen (do not thaw), but you’ll likely need to add an extra few minutes to the total bake time.
To freeze the baked cookies, let them first cool completely before sealing them in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to enjoy them, either reheat them in the oven or microwave, or set them on your counter to thaw.
Can I Use Blackstrap Molasses?
No, do NOT use blackstrap molasses as it’s far too strong in flavor. You want to use a mild to medium flavored molasses to make this recipe. Grandma’s brand or something similar is ideal.
Can I Use Instant Oats?
No, you should use old-fashioned (rolled) oats in these cookies and not instant oats. Instant oats have a different texture and they’d dry out the cookie dough.
Can I Add Other Mix-Ins to the Cookie Dough?
Be my guest! So far, readers have said they’ve made these pumpkin oatmeal cookies with white chocolate chips, raisins, chopped nuts, craisins, and cinnamon chips — all of which sound amazing!
Just make sure to add only 1 cup of mix-ins total, otherwise these cookies won’t be the right texture.
Tips for Making Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Make sure you’re using pure pumpkin puree for these pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and not canned pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling is sweetened and will throw off the flavor of these cookies.
- I thought these cookies were perfectly spiced as is, but you’re welcome to add additional pumpkin pie spice to the dough if you find the flavor lacking.
- You’ll want to take these cookies out of the oven while the tops still look a little glossy. The residual heat from the oven will finish cooking the inside without making these cookies dry or cakey.
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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are bursting with chocolate chips in every bite! They're thick, hearty, perfectly chewy, and not at all cakey.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (use the remainder in these recipes)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon mild or medium-flavored molasses (not blackstrap, too intense)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla or pumpkin pie spice extract
- 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned whole-rolled oats (not quick-cook or instant)
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (a mixture of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg if you don’t have pumpkin pie spice)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- To a large, microwave-safe bowl add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute.
- Add the pumpkin puree, sugars, molasses, vanilla or pumpkin pie spice extract, and whisk to combine until smooth.
- Add the oats, flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, salt, and stir until just combined.
- Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.
- Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 13 equal-sized mounds of dough and flatten slightly.*
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 12 to 14 minutes (12 1/2 minutes is perfect in my oven), or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
- Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Notes
*Tip: Strategically place a few chocolate chips on top of each mound of dough by taking chips from the underside and adding them on top.
Recipe adated from my Soft & Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
13Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 298Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 94mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 2gSugar: 22gProtein: 2g
More Pumpkin Dessert Recipes:
Cooking With Pumpkin: Recipes That Go Beyond the Pie is my second cookbook and was released October, 2014. There’s over 50 pumpkin recipes including sweets, savory, drinks, and a photo for nearly every recipe. I’d be super grateful if you headed over to Amazon.
Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars – Super soft and are like biting into a piece of rich pumpkin fudge! Loaded with chocolate and crazy good!
Buttery Pecan Pumpkin Spice Cookies – Buttery soft dough with big chunky pecans in every bite! Salty-and-sweet and so hard to resist!
Soft and Puffy Pumpkin Spice Honey Cookies – Super soft cookies that just melt in your mouth! You’re going to love these puffy cuties!
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies – Soft, tender cookies with a sweet buttercream filling! Easy and irresistible!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache – One of my favorite cakes of ALL TIME! A must-make!
Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Blondies — Soft pumpkin bars, cinnamon-sugary snickerdoodles, and buttery blondies rolled into one! Super good!!
Cream Cheese-Filled Pumpkin Bread – Pumpkin bread that’s like having cheesecake baked in! Soft, fluffy, easy and tastes ahhhh-mazing!
The Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread — Super soft, moist, rich pumpkin flavor, and loaded with chocolate chips! Easy, no mixer recipe that’s the BEST!
Easy Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting — Moist pumpkin cake is topped with a creamy homemade cream cheese frosting. This easy fall dessert is perfect for Thanksgiving, Halloween, and more!
Pumpkin Banana Bread — Soft, moist, fluffy and so much better than another loaf of plain banana bread!
Originally published September 25, 2015. Updated for clarity September 20, 2019.
This is my new favorite cookie! I absolutely love the flavor and texture. They just taste like the holidays! I have made so many of these in the last week! And I have shared this recipe with all of my coworkers! Love them!!!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that these are your new favorite cookies! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I make a TON of fall cookies, and this is by far my favorite recipe! I make several batches every year, and they always turn out perfectly. Alll of her cookie recipes have been winners, but this one takes the cake.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these are by far your fave fall cookie! Thanks for the compliments on my recipes in general as well!
To make it a little healthier I used 3/4 cup of maple syrup instead of 1 cup of white sugar, coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and coconut oil instead of butter and added walnuts. It came out awesome!! No guilt eating these cookies
Wonderful!
These cookies truly were the best soft (not cakey) banana oatmeal chocolate chip I’ve ever made. Definitely a keeper. It is great that you can freeze the chilled mounds of dough and bake fresh as needed later. Not too sweet and not much butter is used, a somewhat healthy treat.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they’re the best banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever made!
Hello!
I found your recipe on Pinterest and it looks delicious! I have all the ingredients on hand except the molasses. Would pure 100% maple syrup work as a replacement? Or would it mess with the consistency of the cookie?
Thanks for your help!
I haven’t tried with maple but it would probably be an ok swap in a pinch.
I made a twofold group of these treats included cranraisins and white chocolate chips conveyed them to a work prepare deal
They were gone in minutes. Rave surveys all around. A debt of gratitude is in order for an astounding pumkin treat formula.
Regards
Marie Pierce
These turned out great. I made the dough into balls then flattened slightly and made sure they looked nice and round. When I baked them they did not spread very much at all and had a perfect shape. They also freeze excellent as I like to bake about 3 to 6 cookies at a time I just pop these out of the freezer and bake them. Mine took about 12 minutes. If you like a superstrong pumpkin flavor I’d recommend upping the pumpkin pie spice.
Thanks for sharing such a nice recipe, gonna try it soon like your way.
Wow.. Looks so cracky & Crispy… Love to make this for my kids they will definitely love this mouth watering snack..!!
@Averie Sunshine
Looks yummy! I love oatmeal and pumpkin together in cookies! Love to try all. Can’t wait Thanks for sharing.
regards
Tina
I only have quick oats. Would it work if I ground them up into oat flour? I’m really excited to try these because I love pumpkin and oats!
For this recipe, you want to make it as written with the whole-rolled oats. Quick oats, or oats ground into oat flour, will make the dough base overly dry unless you do some tweaking to that amount, or to the wet ingredients, but I haven’t tested those options and can only speak to the way it’s written with whole-rolled oats.
Since I am of the belief that pumpkin does NOT end with Halloween….. I searched recipes last weekend as we wanted to give our Thanksgiving guests goody bags filled with water (it was a long flight for them), Satsuma’s and a little treat…..enter the soft and chewy pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies : )
After I dropped them at their hotel I was flooded with texts telling me how outrageously wonderful they were!!!! Thank you so much for helping to make our Thanksgiving just a bit sweeter.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! That’s wonderful that you both baked for your guests and that you were flooded with great texts! And I’m with you about pumpkin not ending at Halloween!
i made these tonight and they came out awful. I’m not sure what went wrong, but when they came out of the oven, they just had no depth of flavor to them. I added all the right amounts of ingredients and even a little extra spice and just was not pleased with the outcome. After the first batch went in the oven, i threw the rest of the dough away.
I’m not sure how or why they lacked depth of flavor but baking is an interesting thing sometimes. They’re adapted from my https://www.averiecooks.com/2015/09/soft-and-chewy-pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies.html and are basically the exact same cookie with the spices, sugars, etc. but with just some oats added in addition to the flour and everyone has been leaving comments raving about those. Thanks for trying these and I wish I could think of what happened to help you troubleshoot.
I made a double batch of these cookies added cranraisins and white chocolate chips brought them to a work bake sale
They were gone in minutes. Rave reviews all around. Thanks for an excellent pumkin cookie recipe.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! The craisins and white chocolate chips sound heavenly in them! Glad that a double batch disappeared in minutes!
I don’t like pumpkin but this recipe is awesome and
rich flavor of chocolate and oats.Sounds Interesting. I would love to try this.
These look great. If I wanted to make them into bars instead would you suggest adding an egg or leaving them just as they are?
I haven’t tried as bars so can’t say for sure, but I’d leave the egg out because if you add one, then you’ll probably need more flour, less leavener…but I haven’t tried personally so just guessing.
It’s 90 degress in SoCal but it is fall and I was craving fall flavors…my kids, my neighbors and I all loved these cookies. Just the right amount of chewiness and crisp edges. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! I live in San Diego and yes, it’s been crazy hot here and all of these ‘fall’ recipes, I baked in a 90F kitchen, no a/c. But it’s worth it for pumpkin recipes, right! :)
@Averie Sunshine
I cherish pumpkin and oats together in treats! Love the tip about forgetting egg totally and will doubtlessly attempt it..
regards
rakhi
Wow! Just seeing the pic gave me huge cravings.
http://runwayp.com
You are seriously the pumpkin QUEEN Averie! These cookies are total perfection! Aaaand I want one of all of your pumpkin recipes – STAT. Thankyouverymuch!
Pumpkin and chocolate are such a great flavor combination, and I love the addition of oats! Great cookie!
I love pumpkin and oatmeal together in cookies! Love the tip about leaving egg out completely and will definitely try it :-)
love that you added oatmeal to these! the related recipes all look amazing! I made your oatmeal butterscotch cookies tonight and they were a huge hit!
Thanks for trying the oatmeal butterscotch cookie recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you and was a hit!
Holy PUMPKIN!!! These cookies hooked me once I saw “not cakey”! And then I got sucked into your amazing pumpkin recipe heaven. Seriously I’m going to go pumpkin baking crazy just from your blog this weekend!
Have fun baking :)
I think I’ll start with these instead of your cookies from a few days ago. I love oatmeal in baked goods. Pumpkin and oatmeal make it like a breakfast cookie … well, a girl can dream, can’t she?
Totally like a breakfast cookie :) Enjoy!
Tried these yesterday and they are a fun fall treat. In answer to someone’s question above about which pumpkin chip cookie to bake, these are full of texture, which I love, but if texture in a cookie isn’t your thing, try the other version first. These would be yummy with craisins.
Thanks for trying these so soon after I posted them, Kris! I agree about the texture and that I love it too but if you want more ‘smooth’ then go with the others. And yes to these being great with craisins!
These cookies look amazing! I need to get in the kitchen and start doing some fall baking!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Fantastic as usual! Pumpkin and oatmeal go so well together!
I think anything goes with pumpkin…haha! :)
Love how thick and chewy these oat-filled cookies are!! So yummy Averie!
Love your blog , Averie! I have made too many of your recipes to count. I recently made the eggless pumpkin chocolate chip cookies: Delish! In a side by side taste test, which of these two cookies would you say you prefer?
Thanks for trying so many recipes, including the other pumpkin choc chip cookies! Between these and those, they’re different because this one has oats and is heartier and chewier. I love oatmeal cookies in general, so I loved these. But if you want just a more ‘plain’ chocolate chip cookie, then the other ones would win. It depends what you’re looking for on that day :) If you try these, let me know which ones you like better!
Seriously, all the photos of these, and the related recipes, look SO good. Incredible!
I’m a big fan of oatmeal cookies and usually I don’t like chocolate chips in them, but with pumpkin, that seems like a perfect match. Or cinnamon chips. Or raisins.
basically, I want these in any form, right now.
These were so good! Cinnamon chips, oh I love those things! I don’t bake with them much on my blog because people can’t seem to find them but yes they would be perfect in here! (Or raisins, but people hate raisins I’ve determined…lol!)
Adding oats is brilliant. It’ll make the cookies chewier, which with pumpkin is always a plus. Love it!
Yes it is, agreed! :)
Oh man! I just want to shove a whole one of these in my mouth……but that wouldn’t be very ladylike so I’ll have to eat them politely (I’ll save face shoving for later!)
Now this is the ultimate fall cookie!! I always love oats for texture and these look great.
Have a great weekend, Paula!